FIFA president Gianni Infantino faces fresh US tax complaint as Sepp Blatter attacks leadership

Gianni Infantino has become the subject of a new controversy in the United States after a complaint was submitted to the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) over claims concerning a domestic worker employed at the FIFA president’s home.

The complaint, reported by The Guardian, calls for an investigation into allegations that an individual listed on FIFA’s payroll was also working privately as a housekeeper for Infantino in Miami.

It claims the person “performed exclusive domestic work for FIFA president Gianni Infantino and his wife Lina Infantino at their residence in Miami, while receiving compensation or benefits through a FIFA-related entity”.

The complaint, supported by several documents seen by The Guardian, alleges that “senior leadership, acting in its official capacity and on behalf of FIFA, misused the entity’s tax-exempt status”.

It also states that if organisational funds or resources were used to pay for services benefiting a leader’s family, the arrangement would raise “serious questions about personal benefit, financial reporting, compensation and governance”.

The complaint further calls for the original employment, payroll, tax and immigration records to be examined.

FIFA holds 501(c)(4) status in the US, a classification for organisations “established to promote social welfare for charitable, educational or recreational purposes”. If the IRS investigates and the allegations are proven, FIFA could lose its tax-exempt status in the country.

FIFA said the costs of domestic staff were paid personally by Infantino.

“Matters relating to the personal and domestic life of the FIFA president are private; however, to avoid any misunderstanding, the costs of any domestic staff are borne personally by the FIFA president,” a spokesperson said.

Infantino faces wider political scrutiny

The complaint comes as FIFA’s activities, including Infantino’s involvement in the abandoned FIFA Forward Enterprise (FFE) project and his relationship with the Trump administration, are expected to face increased scrutiny from Democratic politicians in the US following the “blue wave” in the midterm elections.

A spokesperson for Congressman Jamie Raskin, the senior member of the US House Judiciary Committee, said the committee had not requested documents relating to the housekeeper but was “closely monitoring these developments”.

If the complaint is considered, an IRS investigation would likely take months. The results of such investigations are not usually published, although any action resulting from the process would be publicly available.

The complaint was filed by Washington-based immigration lawyer Abed Ayoub, who previously served as national executive director of the American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee.

FIFA urged the media to act responsibly, saying there had been “ongoing and coordinated efforts by some to undermine FIFA and its president”. It added that legitimate scrutiny was welcome but should not be used to amplify false claims, and said it would respond directly and firmly to inaccurate or misleading reports.

Blatter calls Infantino a ‘dictator’

Former FIFA president Sepp Blatter has described Infantino as a “dictator” who “no longer recognises boundaries”.

Blatter, who led FIFA for 17 years before resigning amid a corruption scandal, made the comments in an interview with German magazine Der Spiegel.

He criticised FIFA’s plans, its Peace Prize and, most significantly, the decision to overturn the suspension of Club America player Folarin Balogun after he was sent off during the World Cup.

“FIFA is suffering. It is currently led by someone who has allowed himself to be blinded,” Blatter said.

He called the Peace Prize “shameful”, asking: “Why does he do something like this? Infantino gives a peace prize to someone who shortly afterwards wages war on Iran?”

On the abandoned FIFA project, which was dropped after widespread international criticism, Blatter said: “Infantino no longer cares about boundaries. He understands nothing about this.”

He described the Balogun controversy as “the worst”, adding: “Laws can be interpreted, but the rules of the game must apply to everyone, and they cannot be interpreted.”